Green Car News
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Electric cars and hydrogen fuel-cell cars make headlines today.
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Is Walmart's WAVE Concept Truck The Fuel-Efficient Future Of Semis?
Walmart's concept truck features a radical aerodynamic body and turbine range extender.
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric Cars Drive Silently Into Reality TV Shows
An electric Volkswagen Beetle and a derelict CitiCar join the ranks of automotive reality-show stars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Honda Opens High-Pressure Hydrogen Fueling Station In SoCal
Honda hopes its new hydrogen-fueling protocol will become the industry standard.
Stephen Edelstein -
Has U.S. Demand For The Tesla Model S Electric Car Stabilized?
Last month, Tesla Motors reported deliveries of a record 6,892 Model S vehicles during the fourth quarter of 2013. Giddy investors promptly sent Tesla shares zooming higher. But many of those cars--Tesla isn't saying how many--were delivered to Europe. And if you look closely, there are signs that...
David Noland -
Renault To Add Plug-In Hybrid To Electric Car Range?
Some say that launching an electric car in today's market is still something of a risk. Launching four of them then, as French automaker Renault has done, could be considered suicidal. But Nissan's French partner has forged ahead nevertheless, and it now intends to add a plug-in hybrid model to its...
Antony Ingram -
Who says electric cars aren't working in China? Certainly not Kandi, whose electric car-sharing service--that hires out electric vehicles from vending-machine like buildings--is proving profitable and moving into other Chinese cities. Kandi's service started off in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, echoing a bike-sharing scheme previous offered in the city. Several multi-storey buildings sprang up across the city stacked with small two-seat electric vehicles made by Kandi itself. Similar to the Smart Fortwo in concept, the vehicles offer a 75-mile range. Customers can simply select a car from the...
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More Details On Yamaha Motiv-E, Electric Smart Fortwo Rival For Asia?
The Smart Fortwo is a car that heavily divides opinion. In the U.S, it's been less than successful. Sales have been much better in Europe, but even so other manufacturers have hardly rushed out to release competitors for the two-seat city car. Until now, that is. We revealed initial details of...
Antony Ingram -
Georgia Electric-Car Incentive, Diesel Dominance, 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost: Today's Car News
Diesels, the 2015 Ford Mustang, and Georgia make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein -
Gasoline-Fueled Diesel Truck Engine Cuts Fuel Use, Emissions
Running a diesel engine on gasoline could significantly improve efficiency, researchers say.
Stephen Edelstein -
Here's Why Electric Cars Will Succeed: Owners Just Adore Them
Imagine you're a carmaker, and you found you could build a type of vehicle that customers all absolutely adored. Not just liked. Not just said, "Yeah, it's fine, it does what I need"--but out-and-out loved, cherished, talked about incessantly, and recommended to everyone they met, all the time...
John Voelcker -
2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost Adds Grille Shutters To Cut Wind Drag
The 2015 Ford Mustang has a tricky job to do. Not only must it impress fans of previous Mustangs, but as sales expand into Europe it must become more efficient too. To that end Ford has installed a four-cylinder engine for the first time in many years, but it's also worked on aerodynamics--such as...
Antony Ingram -
Within two or three months, there will be more than 200,000 plug-in electric cars on U.S. roads--and we're learning more about who buys them, and why. California's Center for Sustainable Energy released a new report this month that depicts the owners of different models having different reasons for their purchases. MORE: Green Car People: Who Buys Electric And Plug-In Vehicles? As neatly summarized in the Center's press release last week, the differences can be broken down partly by the type of vehicle. Those span battery-electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, range-extended electrics like...
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Diesel To Remain Dominant For Decades In Trucking?
Electrification and hybridization are the buzzwords of passenger transportation right now, but debate in the trucking world focuses on two different alternative fuels. As the industry seeks to clean up its act and reduce costs for operators, diesel and natural gas are slugging it out as the two...
Antony Ingram -
Georgia Advocates Ask Legislature To Keep Electric-Car Tax Benefit
Today, Georgia is among the best places in the country to buy an electric vehicle. Its electric-vehicle tax credit of $5,000 is among the highest offered by any state, and makes buying a battery-electric vehicle much more affordable. But advocates for the bill are now appealing to Georgia...
Antony Ingram -
Geneva Motor Show Preview, 2015 BMW i8, Plant Gasoline: Today's Car News
BMW, the Geneva Motor Show, and a plant-based gasoline substitute make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein -
Advice To Dealers On Green-Car Sales: Focus On Cost Savings First
When it comes to selling green cars, showing buyers that they're saving money can more important than showing them that they're saving the planet.
Stephen Edelstein -
Where Should Tesla Put Its Battery Gigafactory? Reader Poll
When electric-car maker Tesla Motors released more information about its planned "gigafactory" to produce lithium-ion battery cells in the U.S., it revealed the four states it's considering as plant locations. They are Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, all of which are shown as candidate...
John Voelcker -
Plant-based diesel has been available for many years now but making a true gasoline-like hydrocarbon from plant oils has proven a lot more difficult. Chemists at the University of California, Davis think they've cracked it, though, using a new technique to make "biogasoline" from plant waste. Biodiesel will be familiar to many readers, increasingly touted as an alternative to fossil fuel-based diesel fuels. It's proven much easier until now to form a diesel-like fuel, with long, straight hydrocarbon chains, from plant-based oils. The fuel is chemically very similar to that of regular diesel...
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2015 BMW i8: Sexy Plug-In Hybrid Sport Coupe Coming Later This Year
With awareness of the 2014 BMW i3 battery-electric car starting to rise--it will arrive at dealers in late April or early May--it's sometimes easy to forget that BMW has a second plug-in car following close behind. And unlike the i3, whose looks are controversial, there's very little debate over...
John Voelcker -
Green Car Preview: 2014 Geneva Motor Show Concepts & Production Models
The 2014 Geneva Motor Show is almost upon us, and true to form there's much higher green car content than at other recent shows. Geneva has cultivated an image of forward-thinking vehicles and manufacturers are all too happy to oblige when the Swiss show rolls along. This year includes everything...
Antony Ingram -
CA Carpool-Lane Stickers For Plug-In Hybrids Run Out By May--Or Sooner
One of the major incentives for buying a plug-in electric car in California is the coveted sticker allowing single-occupant travel in the carpool lanes on the state's crowded freeways. Now, the supply of stickers for plug-in hybrids that can travel on battery power alone but also have an engine as...
John Voelcker -
Tesla's Lithium-Ion Battery Gigafactory: What You Need To Know
This afternoon, Tesla Motors released details on its proposed "Gigafactory" to build lithium-ion cells for its future electric cars. To provide enough cell capacity to build a projected 500,000 electric vehicles in the year 2020, Tesla would require more cells than last year's entire global...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Is Top Pick, Fisker Karma Restart, Honda Insight Dies: Today's Car News
Fisker, MINI, and Tesla make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein